1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a field of pet enclosures and, more particularly, to a pet enclosure having six panels that easily and speedily assemble and disassemble by means of four corner members.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are many advantages to pet enclosures used to contain domestic animals in the home. One advantage includes an enclosing of rowdy or teething pets when owners are not present to supervise them. A disadvantage to these enclosures is that their unaesthetic appearance causes them to be placed in areas hidden from the family. Pets are discouraged from treating these enclosures as a desired safe place; their interaction with family is limited if they treat the enclosure as a safe place. Pet enclosures varying is size, material, shape and design are marketed to overcome these non-aesthetic designs, wherein they are desired to be more complimentary to standard home decors. The designs have expanded to include may advantage functions, such as a convenient assembly and disassembly for all of cleaning, storage and transport purposes.
A search of the prior art reveals no patents that read directly on the claims of the instant invention; however, the following reference is considered related: the collapsible pet enclosure of U.S. Pat. No. 6,997,138, to Simpson, which discloses a pet enclosure comprising a variety of panels having a stranded material woven onto a substantially rigid frame. The panels hingedly connect to one another to form an opening in which a door is pivotally mounted to either swing inwardly and outwardly or to close by means of a latch. The enclosure further comprises both a floor panel having a plurality of legs to support the floor from a distance above the underlying surface and a channel for receiving a cooperating base portion. The enclosure can be easily set up and folded for use or it can be unfolded to a flat position for storage and transport.
There are several disadvantages to the pet enclosure disclosed in Simpson: (1) the enclosure can be unfolded to a flat position for cleaning purposes, but the unfolded position is too space consuming for convenient storage; (2) the enclosure requires tools for assembly and disassembly; and, (3) the doorway swings outwards by means of a hinge that precludes the enclosure's placement along walls adjacent to the hinge.
Thus, a need is long felt for an improved pet enclosure that easily, speedily and repeatedly assembles and disassembles into a compact state for cleaning, transport and storage purposes and, more specifically, to a pet enclosure that provides for door panels to be removably mounted to and secured to the openings formed along the widths of panels.